From Hot to Hotter
by CatchingWind
Summary: Noah's romantic issues with Dani are flaring up along with the heat in Amity Park. Right before she leaves with her boyfriend on a vacation, he runs over - literally! - in blistering heat to tell Dani's boyfriend a few rules, but ends up staying for the girl of his dreams... Cue the flaring flames! -T for teenage mushiness :D-


**Just a little one-shot I've had in one of my notebooks since… April or so? I don't know. I remember working on it in school.**

**Now, this idea isn't really mine. I have to give credit to the authors of the episode "One, Maybe Two Ways Out" in Psych, season 5. I won't spill anything since it's a HUGE spoiler, but this may be a spoiler alert in itself. So kudos to them!**

**And kudos to the fantastic Aurora Marie Williams for beta-ing this! I'm sure it would've been riddled with mistakes if it hadn't been for her!**

**A note about this one-shot: this is written entirely in 3****rd****person limited POV, the limited part being Noah. The only exceptions to this are the italicized word in parentheses, which I'm sure you can figure out who they are from. ;)**

**If you are confused of who the characters are, check out CynicalWondering's profile! A backstory to this whole AU will be coming out September-ish! (BTW, Tyler isn't really part of the AU, just an OC I came up with on the spot. Although I am kind of liking him…)**

**OH, MY GOSH! I JUST REALIZED THAT THIS IS THE LAST THING I'M GOING TO PUBLISH IN INDIANA! AHHH!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or the idea for this. They belong to Butch Hartman and whoever wrote the above episode. However, I do own Noah and Tyler (technically not Dani, since she was in the show).**

From Hot to Hotter

_Have they left yet?_

This is the single, crucial, imperative, earth-shattering question Noah Manson had running through his head as he raced over quickly to Tyler Ellington's house. He hadn't bothered to drive there since the house was only a few blocks away. Now, he was regretting it his hasty decision. For one thing, the late June heat was really taking a toll on him. That and he was panicking about whether they'd left yet or not.

'They' were Tyler and Dani. One of the most recent couples to start dating. Noah had been disappointed; he hadn't gotten to her in time. In fact, he'd pretty much _helped _Tyler ask his best friend out by giving Tyler the ring his _own _mother had given _him _to give to Dani. Now, that ring was a painful reminder of how he could never be with her.

He'd really been hoping to give her the ring on his own, and then ask her if she would like to be _his_ girlfriend, but he'd chickened out every single time he had prepared to ask. He was almost positive that she felt the same way about him that he felt towards her, but he couldn't be 100 percent sure. More like 96.5 percent, but that would be a bit specific.

And now, as if fate was determined to torture him further, the Tyler and Dani were taking a week-long trip out to Lake Eerie for a Fourth of July date/vacation kind of thing. _Just_ the two of them in a rented cabin that Mr. Ellington sprang for. Dani's parents were a bit skeptical at first (who wouldn't be at the mention of two sixteen-year-olds alone for a week out of town?), but when she promised them that she would bring the Fenton Portable Ghost Shield, they'd caved in (with the enforcement of a few obvious rules, of course).

He'd been there when that conversation went down, and he could remember following the somewhat irritated Dani out to the dumpster in the alleyway, and her throwing the portable shield in there like it was nothing more than a disposable bag. He somehow knew she would do that.

His biggest concern, though, was not about _ghost_ safety, but her safety with Tyler. That was basically the entire reason for his trek to the Ellington's. He wanted to lay down a few rules of his own with Dani's boyfriend as a reassurance that she would be okay. They were leaving today, and he wanted to make sure that she would stay happy throughout the trip, as preventing it from happening was virtually impossible.

Yet, an almost equally big, okay, big_ger_ part of this visit was to see Dani one last time before she left.

To tell the truth, he wasn't sure if she was actually happy being _in _the relationship. At times, he would catch her looking over Tyler's shoulder sadly when they hugged, or give him what Noah interpreted as a very forced laugh.

(_I don't think I'm happy with him…)_

The sun was pounding onto him, the asphalt road beside him resounding tremendous amounts of heat, and the air around him seemed to humidify further with each passing second. The hairs on the back of his neck were plastered to his skin, buckets of sweat were pouring all over his body, and his breath was more of a pant, becoming more and more ragged the further he jogged.

Needless to say, he _really _regretted not bringing his car.

Rounding the corner of 6thStreet and River Avenue, he saw Tyler Ellington's house come into view just a few doors down. Number 801 was just about as average as it could get. Two floors, flawlessly manicured garden beds, luscious green grass that had just been trimmed festooned with small Chinese maples. Noah knew that he was entering the suburbs, where the houses were further apart and more… _house-like ._Much more different than Dani's townhouse or his own mansion. Even Tucker lived more in the downtown area.

But these thoughts were barely skimming his mind. The mailbox of 801 River Avenue came into view; he put on one last burst of speed and pushed himself up the driveway and onto the front porch. Trying to catch his breath as best as he could, he rang the doorbell.

Much to his surprise, both Tyler and Danielle answered the door. Both had confused expressions etched on their faces.

(_What in the name of the Ghost Zone is he doing here?_)

He immediately straightened up and madly began flattening his unruly hair. He had to make himself look somewhat presentable in front of Dani.

Dani was the first to react of the two. "Oh, my gosh, Noah!" she exclaimed, stepping over the threshold and taking his left hand in her right. The boy in context barely registered the fact that Tyler frowned at this action. But he had more pressing matters on his mind.

She's holding my hand!

(_I'm holding his hand!_)

He noticed that she had to literally shake herself out of some sort of trance before she led him into the drastically cooler and refreshing house. "Did you _run _here?" she asked him incredulously.

(_I wonder if he runs all the time… Maybe he works out? Ooh, that would be hot! Wait a second… bad Dani, bad girl! You already have a boyfriend, and Noah's your best friend, for crying out loud!_)

She appeared to be in an argument with herself, but he went ahead and answered. "It was only a couple blocks," he said, trying to change the subject as subtly as he could.

"In this heat?" It was Tyler's turn to speak now. Noah wanted to roll his eyes at him, but then remembered that he did have a good point. Amity's heat records were being broken daily now, spiking well over 100 degrees, which was unnatural for their climate type.

"It was nothing, really," he insisted, wanting to get off of the subject quickly. He noticed that Dani frowned lightly.

(_I hope he realizes he's not the only one allowed to be overprotective…_)

"I'm going to get you a glass of water," she said, not relaxing her facial features. With that, she left the room, but not in the storming manner Noah thought she would.

He was a bit dismayed at this point. She'd been to Tyler's house enough times to know where to go for water and glasses. Sure, it was the same deal for his and Tucker's houses, but that was something entirely different. They were her best friends! Of course she would know a small detail like that!

_Yes, unfortunately, she is__**only**_ _my best friend._

There was a moment of very awkward silence between the two remaining teenagers, one that Noah hoped Tyler would break. Thankfully, his unspoken wish came true.

"So… what did you come over for?" Dani's boyfriend asked, but in more of a 'why-in-the-world-are-you-here-because-we-both-know-that-I'm-going-out-with-Dani-and-you-can't-do-anything-about-it' tone.

Noah decided to just tell him the truth. Who knew when she would be back? There was no use beating around the bush.

(_I wonder if he came here just to see me? … Nah. But, then again… why would he bother coming here? It's almost obvious that he and Tyler are sworn enemies..._)

"I came here to talk to you," he said, trying to sound bold. Unfortunately, he was still a little shaky from his overheated run over here. Great, now it would seem like he was some kind of wuss standing up to a huge giant and trying (yet failing) to sound bigger than he really was.

"About what?"

Noah opened his mouth to spill everything he'd prepared for this moment. He'd spent hours detailing all the rules and regulations, but now he found himself rendered speechless. _Why?_ What on earth would make him stop like that?

Maybe it was because deep down, he knew that Tyler, as annoying and cocky as he may be, really did care about Dani, too, regardless of his feelings towards her best friend.

And so it was at that thought that Noah's mind blanked. What was he going to do now? He couldn't just stand there gaping like an idiot while Tyler gave him questioning looks in the stupid superior manner he did so well.

"Just…" he began, a bit unsure of himself. "Just… keep her happy, okay?" he finally managed to choke out, wondering if this whole trip was really a good idea.

Tyler raised an eyebrow, but nodded and said, "Yeah. Don't you know that's my intention?" Noah could see the hints of a smirk on the corners of his mouth.

It was then that his vigor returned. "Yeah, well don't – "

"Here, Noah!" Dani came back into the room, holding a glass of ice water and a towel. Beads of condensation were forming on the outside of the crystal clear glass, making the sweaty and overheated boy realize just how thirsty he was. She handed the items to him without hesitation.

(_Man, he is so cute like that! If he's really warm, he can take his shirt off… Argh! Shut up, Dani!_)

Tyler's dull green eyes followed Noah's movements as he patted himself down with the towel. He could see those eyes watching his every move, and it was freaking him out. The sort-of stalker turned to go up the stairs.

"Where are you going, Ty?" Dani asked, a touch of worry lacing her face.

_**Ty?**_

"I'm just making sure everything's all packed up," Tyler replied flippantly, not even bothering to turn around and face her.

And thus, the two best friends were left alone.

"So, um…" Dani started, tracing lines in the tile entryway with her sandaled foot. "What _did_ you come over for?"

Darn it, why does she have to be so pretty?

(_Why must everything be this awkward between us nowadays?_)

"Er, no reason." She would know he was lying, but would hopefully brush it off. He was, in a bittersweet way, met with silence.

_Great.__** Just **__great._

Without any warning, all kinds of words filled his head on their own accord. The jumbled words became phrases, which became full-length sentences. The sentences then pushed at his vocal cords, desperate to form into phonic sounds. There was no use in fighting it when his mouth opened. Dani raised an eyebrow so high at the movement it was in danger of disappearing into her hairline, but didn't say anything.

Now, why couldn't this have happened with Tyler?

"Okay, so maybe I sorta-kinda came here to see you one more time," he blurted, unable to control himself at this point. He noticed Dani trying to hide surprise and glee.

(_Oh, my gosh! He really __**did**_ _come to see me again!_)

He took a step closer to her and laced his fingers through her slender delicate ones. She seemed startled by the implication, but relaxed just as quickly as she'd been surprised.

"I also wanted to tell you to just… have fun, okay?" He wasn't really conscious about what he was saying; his heart was just pouring out. "Don't let anything ruin your trip, especially not the weather or anything, because… well the weather is, like, the stupidest thing in the world." His heart leapt a little when he saw her smile and give a little giggle.

(_He can be so witty sometimes, but, like any other guy, he does have his blubbery-boy moments. Like now, for instance. Is he doing this because of… me?_)

"Um, be sure to cook a marshmallow for me," Noah said, then hit the brakes as hard as humanly possible.

_A __**marshmallow**__? See, now I'm __**really**_ _blabbing. Why do I always get this way around her?_

"You know the way I like them, right? 'Cause I hate it when they're all blackened, and…" He began to trail off when he saw Dani start to shake her head while still grinning happily.

_Great. Now she's laughing at me._

(_He's just so cute! I wonder…_)

"Er, disregarding the marshmallow thing," he spluttered out quickly, desperate to change the subject. "You can take pictures for me, too. I mean, I wanna see what you see, but don't…" he started, getting quieter at the end. He knew what to say, but he was reluctant to.

_Oh, jeez. Here I go getting all __corny__ in front of her._

He took a deep breath and looked right into her powdery blue eyes. "Don't just show me what you saw or what you did. Show me the stuff that really matters. Show me… how you felt or, like, _what _you felt. You know, the stuff that makes your heart jump." Why couldn't he breathe? Adrenaline? "'Cause that's the stuff that counts in life."

It never occurred to him what the double meaning of that whole speech could mean.

(_**Show**__ him how I feel? … Now, that's an idea…_)

He saw her face, which was filled with seriousness and possibly… contemplation? What could she be thinking about?

_Maybe I need to say something funny. I don't think this conversation is heading in the right direction._

(_Just do it already, Dani!_)

Noah shook his head and escaped from the pressing solemnity that was quickly becoming too much for him. "Of course, if you _do _want to take blurry pictures of some fish you caught, then –"

After that, he wasn't entirely sure of what happened. He did know that suddenly, Dani had slid her hands out of his and that she had thrown them onto his shoulders. He also knew that he lost the ability to speak, thanks to the fact that his mouth was doing something else. And Dani's mouth was doing something else. In fact, their mouths were doing the same thing.

They were _kissing_.

Actual heated lip-lock kissing.

After getting over the initial shock, he fell right into her smooth lips. _This _was the kind of thing he'd always wanted. _This _was the moment he had been waiting for all his life. Or, at least, middle/high school life.

_Is this what heaven feels like?_

(_Why didn't I do this sooner?_)

As if in an unspoken agreement, they separated just millimeters apart and took a few breaths. His upper lip rested right above hers, and she leaned her forehead closer to his. Before he knew it, they were at it again. This kiss, however, was much less heated, but it was still passionate enough. It was just right. Just what he liked.

_Like? What about love?_

Noah tried to ponder this through his haze. It was difficult, though, thanks to the girl who was currently kissing him.

Not that he was complaining, of course…

_Nah. We're a bit too young for love._

A vague thought entered his mind.

_What about almost-love?_

Suddenly, without any warning whatsoever, Dani pulled away, her hands leaving him, and her eyes trailing down to her shoes. Noah just stared at her, confused beyond comprehension. Why on earth had she –

Then, Tyler appeared on the landing straight ahead. He quickly thundered down the remaining steps, and Dani's head whipped up in his direction.

_Oh, she must've heard him coming downstairs._

Tyler approached his girlfriend and took her hands in his, just like Noah had done with her not three minutes ago. Or was it ten? The kiss had thrown him off. He saw her give Tyler a weak smile when she found her hands in his.

"Alright! Everything's ready to go when you are!" Tyler told her a bit over-happily as she continued to grin at him warily. While he was distracted, Dani shot a sad look at the boy she'd just kissed, the smile dying off of her face.

Noah's heart almost broke in two at the sight of her expression.

He had to shake it off quickly and do something to get out of there before he went insane from… whatever.

"Okay!" he interjected, clapping his hands together once and drawing the attention of the couple to him. "I'll leave you two alone so that you can get going," he told them, hoping his voice didn't sound as saddened as he really was.

_Not that I want to leave you…_

"Oh," Dani said, her mood as down as… well, as it can get. It seemed to be the only thing she _could _say at the moment.

(_No! Don't leave yet!_)

"Well," Tyler began, "thanks for dropping by, Noah. Will I be seeing you around?" The tone was not friendly, more like 'leave-now-before-something-bad-happens-between-us'.

Noah just nodded. He could feel his lips tightening, and he found himself wondering if his lips were that taut when Dani had kissed him. He shooed the thought from his mind, and instead, he said, "I hope you guys have a wonderful vacation." Before either of them could respond, he stalked towards the doorway and stepped out onto the front porch into the blistering heat, taking care not to slam the door.

On the porch, he just stood there with his head in his hands, allowing the sun to do its worst. He didn't think much of it, though. He couldn't process what had just happened in the past ten minutes at all. He just sighed heavily and began the long way home, which he was not looking forward to in what seemed even hotter weather.

_What did I just do?_

(_What did I just do?_)

**Hm. Shorter than I'd like it to be. I feel it was rushed. What about you? What do you think? Leave me a review to tell me? I suck at romance, so… yeah. :/**

**I do have a concept for a sequel, based off of a scene in the episode after this one was based off of. Dunno if that makes sense, but the Psych episode is called "Extradition: The Actual Extradition Part", I think. You can watch it if you want a hint… heehee! If I get five reviews for this, I'll start writing it! And like I said above, I may just bring Tyler back for another story. I'm liking his attitude for some reason… Oh noes!**

**Anyways, don't want to sound like a beggar, but review!**

**-CatchingWind**


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